Dirt Dog Sparly

I am of the opinion that Cuse and I are having a seperate conversation than you Sullymon. This conversation started over IMB saying never. Cuse and then I later are saying, not never but in very special circumstances. For that we are being pilloried for not worshiping at the alter of James. The truth is we both agree with James and are saying that this is how we would apply James to REAL GAME SITUATIONS. What I get from you is that numbers are the reality as opposed to the actual game situations. Go back to my post, the last on page six, and understand that according to James I am a blooming idiot. However I present the case that I picked up the information in that game situation and did the "wrong thing" for the right reasons. Also understand that in eight years of coaching that is the ONLY time I have tried that in a real game. I did it once in a scrimmage game, in my first year of coaching, also but that result was less than optimal.

With a runner at third and less than two outs you better believe that the goal of the AB is to drive the ball to the OF deep enough to drive the runner in from third. If it results in a Sac Fly then it was still a very succesful at bat. A base hit is a great bennie to the AB if it happens. But picking up the runner at third is a bigger bennie.

which is pretty much what a manager's job should be. I guess every single manager in baseball is doing his job wrong then. any manager that doesn't simply perpetuate the company's philosophy on the field isn't doing his job right. with the cubs, the company's philosophy is bad so it really doesn't matter what piniella does, it has to be better than what hendry wants, though. No any GM that dosent get the people to fit the manager isnt doing his job right. The opposite is a GM who dosent hire a manager to use the people in place correctly. Either way you get Jim Hendry and Dusty Baker. i'm not sure exactly what you mean, do you mean that a team should be put together to suit a management style? that's absurd. a team should be put together with pitching and production at the plate--the manager should be there to look wise and talk nice to the media. it should be a virtually meaningless job. It is useless to assemble the Oakland A's and give them to Dusty Baker. The manager on the field is the one using the parts he has been given. He can screw them up before the game even starts if he lacks the ability to see how they all fit together. Using Baker as an example. When he had a veteran team he was more comfortable because the parts fit the manager. With the team that imploded last year he constantly said and did the wrong things because he wasnt comfortable with the team that was assembled. Taking it a step further look at Macha last year. Lost his job because he was the "Beane manager" and couldnt/didnt communicate with the players. You know the human element in the game.

which is pretty much what a manager's job should be. I guess every single manager in baseball is doing his job wrong then. any manager that doesn't simply perpetuate the company's philosophy on the field isn't doing his job right. with the cubs, the company's philosophy is bad so it really doesn't matter what piniella does, it has to be better than what hendry wants, though. No any GM that dosent get the people to fit the manager isnt doing his job right. The opposite is a GM who dosent hire a manager to use the people in place correctly. Either way you get Jim Hendry and Dusty Baker.

I have posted this else where before, so I wont fill in all the detail. Runner at 1 and 2 with no outs. The pitcher had walked the runners on 1 and 2 on nine pitches. The coach comes out, reading his body language and that of his pitchers I can tell it isnt a happy conversation. I put on the Run and Hit on the first pitch on the next batter. I am throwing the book and percentages out the window because I know the pitcher is going to throw a get me over pitch to try and get strike one. The result is a triple off the fence that missed being a homer by two or three feet. A five run inning that inning and a huge shift in momentum. In those circumstances when every thing converged at the right moment you do what a coach does. I believe in OBP and teach strike zone recognition. Driving the ball to all fields. I play a pretty straight forward game. But, when it presents itself, you are the coach and you make the tough calls as well as the easy ones. That IMB is why you never say never on a baseball diamond.

At least there is no one questioning Woods desire to pitch. I question his smarts, but never his ability to suck it up and take his turn until his arm falls off and has to be reattached.

Not bad for a guy that walked naked into the clubhouse in AAA. :shock:

50 Pitches this time of year is right on track going into spring training. If the Cubs are like the two other organizations that I have seen the off season conditioning programs for pitchers, everyone is sitting at 50 to 60 pitches off a mound. Add in that Wood is rehabbing, and 50 is promising. The rub comes in that not all bullpen sessions are the same. If Wood is throwing at 50% for those 50, it isnt the same as 80%. Muchl ess if they have him airing it out for the last 15 to 20 pitches of the session.

The Cubs AA team is now about a 4 to 5 hour drive away. It would make a perfect weekend getaway for you and the Misses. Plus Jackson is an hour up the road so when they play the Dbacks team you can catch those as well.

It all depends on what he's trying to do. We have kids throwing right now and you can see the ones that don't have confidence in their stuff or fastball, sometimes very easily. To steal some of Cuses thunder if he will forgive me. Body language is something I pay alot of attention too in bullpens. I would ask a pitcher to execute a fastball away, curve away, and fastball up and in. The ones who had confidence executed the series bang, bang, bang. The ones who didnt threw a pitch and waited on me to say something before they would throw the next or do something to take their time before they threw the next pitch in the series. Guys with confidence stand on the mound differently than ones that dont. Even in bullpens they attack the session differently. Whether it is long toss or a dedicated bullpen throwing to a catcher it just shows. FDR had it right "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" It is so true.

http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-070131cubsprior,1,7224158.story?coll=cs-home-headlines Edited to add: According to SI.com, Prior took a pay cut and will reportedly make $3.575 million in '07. If he reaches some incentives, the right-hander could also make an additional $300,000.

Price if he runs out a big contract demand. I honestly believe it. His demands could be so that he tries to price himself out of Tampa's and KC's price range.

I like Drew in the two hole because it allows him to shoot the ball through the hole where the second baseman has moved from to cover the bag for the steal/ double play. Drew runs a bit better than Helton so have him on ahead of Ortiz and Manny where he can go first to third. Not so important when Manny and Papi launch one. Still nice to able to do it though.

Nicely done. Well worth the down load time.

Hey if we cant out pitch you, we will blind you! Looks almost like a softball uniform.

You are saying the same things that most coaches are this time of year :wink: On topic Dayn Perry should not be expected to put together Pulitzer Prize journalism. He is a hack writer, has been and always will be. Its like the traffic accident. Every one slows down to look at the carnage.

I can see the Rockies getting two good youngsters and a project if they eat most of Heltons salary. Money is the thing with the RSox right now. The article said they didnt want to pay a big cap penalty. I could see Drew in the 2 hole followed by Manny, then Ortiz, with Helton behind him. That would be a nightmare in the sixth thinking I have one LOOGY. Do I use him here or keep him for the ninth? And all that depending on who you want to pick for your poison. Adding Helton could give you this lineup. #1 Lugo ®SS #2 Drew (L)RF #3 Ramirez ®LF #4 Ortiz (L) DH #5 Helton (L) 1B #6 Lowell ® 3B #7 Varitek (S) C #8 Cora ???(L) 2B #9 Crisp (S) CF Not quite the 27 Yanks but not bad at all. Helton and Lowell can flip but that is if you want to break up the two lefties 4 & 5. This would also mean Youkilis moves to the bench and spells Lowell and Helton. Just a thought, could Youkilis play a decent second? Understand this is coming from a middle infielder, but if he could...

Personally I think that it will depend on the personality of the club. I see him as being the Anti-Dusty with a chance to have the results the same. You can tell some people they cant do something and they will do it to shove it in your face. Some will do it because they want to prove they can. The vast majority will wait and see where the wind blows. The other end of the spectrum will sull up and pout because you dont "respect" them. While the last will smarm and back stab to get even. As a coach you have to find the first guys and turn them on to your game plan so that they will lift the others up. Otherwise the bottom end will drag everyone else down to the level they occupy. The danger I see with Lou is pushing the wrong button with Lee, Wood, ect and getting a shut down. See Texas and Showalter and before that Arizona. Also look at Oakland last year and Macha. Two managers who make demands like Lou's who are now unemployed as skippers in MLB.

I say Ted Lilly. A fly ball pitcher at Wrigley is not a good match. Isturis is a close second, but since there is not a clear cut sucessor in the wings, the majority of the folks here will live with him despite the fact that as said before he is a slightly better Neffi. IE; his defense will mitigate some of the hate. Marquis will be used to pillory Hendry endlessly. That is why I think Marquis misses the #1 ranking. The Marquis hate will transfer to Hendry. Lilly on the other hand will suffer early and not produce to his contract expectations. This will place him in a hole at NSBB with those who use every statistic they can lay their hands on to say Hendry should have signed player X. That my friends is why I voted for Lilly.

Could is the operative word. My lack of faith in player development makes me the pessimistic cuss I am.

Does he have a body that can fill out some more? Like Colvin? Or is he as big as he is going to get in physical development?

House is the author of at least two pitching manuals besides running his school. His degree is in Biomechanics and that is what his pitching theory is built on. The most efficient use of the muscles in the body to reproduce the same pitching motion each time with the least strain on the body. The first book, which I tried to read, was written for other biomechanics pitching coaches. Seriously the book required that you learn and understand biomechanics to really get the best use of it. The second was an improvement as House explained his terms and broke them down so that you can understand and apply them better. It is also an interactive book of sorts as he uses examples that you mimic to feel as well as read about.

On XM175 Baseball AM this morning it was discussed that Bonds want the Giants to hire part/all of his "staff" as clubhouse personnel. The Giants are saying no, and heck no. The speed story is just further cement for the Giants.

Personally I am very pleased to see him take a leadership role. It is easy to sit back and say this is awful, why dont they fix it? Its something else entirely to actually lead and try to make a difference. Go Ryno.

Im depressed because I am not part of it anymore. :cry: